Panthers at Home, January 18 to 20
After a busy weekend on the road, the Panthers are back on home ice/court. Both men’s and women’s basketball teams host a pair of four-point games at crucial points in their respective seasons. Men’s Hockey hosts the number-one team in the country Friday night. UPEI Women’s Hockey digs in for a couple of games, including the annual Shoot for the Cure/Pink in the Rink fundraiser in support of breast cancer research.
Friday
UPEI Women’s Basketball hosts St. Francis Xavier University Friday evening at 6:00 pm. The women are tied for first in the AUS. Every game counts.
“The team is excited to play this weekend in front of our great home crowd,” said coach Matt Gamblin. “This is the busiest time of year in the AUS, and every game is important as we make our run toward the playoffs.”
The men play X at 8:00 pm.
“This is a big weekend for our team,” said coach Darrell Glenn. “We play against two very well coached programs and limiting our turnovers throughout the weekend is going to be critical. We will need to do a much better job of moving the ball and taking higher percentage shots, and we will have to do a good job of getting back in transition to take away easy point opportunities.”
Friday night is International Night for UPEI Basketball, with special guests from UPEI’s International Society, Study Abroad Canada, and École-Sur-Mer in Summerside.
In MacLauchlan arena, the UPEI Men’s Hockey team takes on the University of New Brunswick. The puck drops at 7:00 pm.
“We will obviously have to be ready to go against UNB,” said coach Forbes MacPherson. “They just came off of handing U de M a 10-0 loss. They are firing on all cylinders. They are a very dangerous team. We will need to be prepared and at our best!”
Saturday
Saturday afternoon sees the annual Pink in the Rink game for UPEI Women’s Hockey, as the Panthers take on the University of New Brunswick. Cancer survivor Nora McKenna will drop the puck at 2:00 pm.
“The team is looking forward to playing UNB this coming weekend,” said coach Bruce Donaldson. “We are presently tied with each other, so it kind of feels like a playoff match. We have not defeated UNB yet this year, so they have had our number.”
“After seeing what positive change we created after last year’s event I am so thankful to be able to plan and organize the breast cancer awareness events again for the second year in a row,” said Emily March with UPEI Women’s Hockey. “We have such a strong and supportive community, and it’s always so heartwarming to see fans, students, and other athletes come out to support this cause. As a Panther family, we will continue to fight this horrible disease.”
Sunday
Shoot for the Cure runs Sunday for UPEI Women’s Basketball as the Panthers host Dalhousie University. The game begins at 1:00 pm with a ceremonial tip-off with cancer survivor Linda Burns. The game will feature a bake sale, raffle draw, and Shoot for the Cure T-Shirts.
The Shoot for the Cure campaign has proven an overwhelming success since it was launched in the fall of 2007, with over $1.25 million in donations to date. All 47 U SPORTS women’s basketball schools will once again participate in the program for the eighth year in a row.
I as well as so many others have been touched by the stories and the strength of people affected by breast cancer,” said Kimeshia Henry with UPEI Women’s Basketball. “On January 20th, we are able to bring the community together to educate, raise funds and bring awareness in hopes of aiding in the fight to combat breast cancer. My team and I are so lucky to be part of this battle and we won’t let up until the fight is won.”
The men tip off against Dalhousie at 3:00 pm.
UPEI Women’s Hockey suits up for another game Sunday, this time in the O’Leary Community Sports Centre arena. The game against Mount Allison begins at 2:00 pm.
“While Mount A has not won many games this year, they played very well against us recently,” said Donaldson. “I thought they were the better team, and we were able to figure out how to score one more goal. Our goal is to get better each and every game. Mount A will be ready to go, so we need to be as well.”
As usual, all UPEI students get into home games for free! Come on our and cheer on your Panthers!
Go Panthers Go!
